Timpani Extractor

How to extract the timpani from a song

1. Upload the song. MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC, up to 10 minutes. You sign in with Google the first time.
2. Press Extract the timpani. It costs 1 credit for every minute of music, and the button shows the price before anything runs. New accounts start with 5 credits, enough for one song up to 5 minutes. Most songs take 1 to 3 minutes.
3. Listen and download. Two reels come back: Timpani and Without the timpani. Click one to hear only that file, then download it as an MP3 at 320 kbps. If processing fails, your credits are returned.

The timpani in a song

Timpani, also called kettle drums, are large copper bowls with a drum head on top. Unlike most drums, they are tuned to a pitch, and a player can change it with a pedal. In an orchestra they play low, rolling thunder, a dramatic roll that builds up to a big moment, and hits that outline the bass notes of the harmony. In film scores, symphonic rock and epic pop tracks they add weight to the chorus or a final chord.

Who wants the timpani alone

Orchestral percussionists study a part. A timpanist has few notes but they have to be exactly right, so hearing the Timpani file by itself shows the entrances and the rolls. Then play along with the Without the timpani file.

Composers and arrangers learn how a score uses the instrument, and which pitches it plays.

Producers sample a deep hit for a trailer-style boom or a drop.

What to expect

Timpani are low and loud, and they overlap with the bass drum, bass and cellos. In a recording where the timpani are clear, such as an orchestral piece or a film score, the Timpani file can sound good. Rolls and long ringing notes can leave a trace in the Without file, and a tom or a kick may be picked up into the Timpani file in a rock mix. If the song has few timpani hits, the file may be mostly silent. Listen to both files with headphones before you rely on them.

For the whole drum kit, use the Drum Remover, or the Drum Kit Splitter for kick, snare and toms. For other percussion, use the Percussion Extractor. To check which instruments an orchestral piece contains, try the Every Instrument Splitter.